Daesh Launch Small Offensive

Al Jazeera have reported a string of violent incidents in Iraq in the past 24 hours. In Salahaddin, a suicide bomber targeted a meeting of anti ISIL Sunni Sheikhs, killing at least 18 people. ISIL and its predecessor ISI have long targeted opposing Sunnis, fearing widespread Sunni opposition in Iraq would undermine their cause.

In Anbar, ISIL attacked a dam north west of Fallujah, killing 14 Iraqi soldiers in a series of clashes, although ISIL casualties could not be confirmed. Iraqi govt. forces are preparing a major offensive on both Fallujah and Ramadi, and ISIL seems to be launching a series of pre-emptive attacks to stall the planned govt. operations.

In Baghdad, ISIL targeted a market in a Shi’a majority area, killing at least 8 people. Such attacks, while frequent, appear to be less powerful than in the past, and ISIL are now typically using suicide car bombs to target Iraqi security personnel.